Latent images as conceptual art

You sometimes hear of well-known photographers leaving rolls or dark slides of unprocessed film after their death and I wondered if the demise of film and it’s chemical process know how, could mean that one day it maintains a special value in its latent image state? To process it may destroy the wonder of what it may behold. This may already be the case, but any thoughts?

You sometimes hear of well-known photographers leaving rolls or dark slides of unprocessed film after their death and I wondered if the demise of film and it’s chemical process know how, could mean that one day it maintains a special value in its latent image state? To process it may destroy the wonder of what it may behold. This may already be the case, but any thoughts?

Johannes Brahms was always his own severest critic. When he knew he would soon die, he destroyed all but a very few of his unpublished manuscripts. He did this to ensure that he would be known for only his best work. Other artists have done the same thing. In most cases the fact that films were never developed indicates that the photographer did not believe they contained any memorable images.

A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.

Johannes Brahms was always his own severest critic. When he knew he would soon die, he destroyed all but a very few of his unpublished manuscripts. He did this to ensure that he would be known for only his best work. Other artists have done the same thing. In most cases the fact that films were never developed indicates that the photographer did not believe they contained any memorable images.

Considering that people buy old wines, never to drink them, and which may have gone bad in the bottle anyway, I'd say it could be not that far-fetched. If I somehow became famous, there's a few rolls of undeveloped Kodachrome in my freezer someone could speculate on.

I do use a digital device in my photographic pursuits when necessary.
When someone rags on me for using film, I use a middle digit, upraised.

WTF?!? Indeed, all of my dark slides start out with latent images of AA's most famous negatives, But somehow when I develop the film, the transfer has failed and all I get is my own cruddy work.

Originally Posted by cliveh

...and I wondered if the demise of film...

Not if I and other APUGers have anything to do about it.

Originally Posted by cliveh

...To process it may destroy the wonder of what it may behold.

Precisely. That is why I've stopped all processing of film and paper. The mere thought of what is there now prevents me testing virtuality against reality. Tomorrow: I stop pressing the shutter as well. Mind Pictures, that is where it's really at man.

Originally Posted by cliveh

...but any thoughts?

Those are my correspondingly parsed and absurd thoughts, but then why bother posting them as they already existed in their latent state...